"I'm still feeling kind of queasy from that nectar."
"I treated you days ago!"
"Whatever you did hasn't worked. Maybe all those command subroutines are compromising your medical abilities."
"Maybe all that sarcasm is compromising your natural charm."

— Harry and Doc

In brief: An intriguing and thoroughly entertaining premise, featuring an eerie take on the workplace and a plot that moves swiftly and confidently.

Perhaps the best thing about "Workforce" is that it's a refreshing escape from the reality (as it were) of the usual Voyager situation. Here's an episode that looks and feels like good, grander storytelling, taking us to an unfamiliar but relatable world where it gives the characters bizarre, unwanted vacations from themselves.

Simply put, the premise for this episode is a neat idea. We join the story already in progress, as Janeway begins her first day at work at a massive power plant on a mysterious industrialized world. She introduces herself as Kathryn Janeway, New Employee. What is she doing here? Other oddities pique our interest when we see that Seven of Nine and Tuvok also work at this plant.

Is this an undercover mission? We quickly learn no. Although the plot is gradual in giving us all the information, it's clear that our characters' memories have been tampered with. What's nice about this plot structure is that we have our suspicions even before the story reveals all its cards, the whats and hows. We quickly understand that the crew had been kidnapped specifically to be dropped into the labor force of this company, as new employees.

Talk about your extreme solutions to labor shortages.

How did this happen? Doc explains via flashback: Voyager had been ambushed in a unique way — with an invisible mine that unleashed toxic radiation. Forced to abandon ship, we see that the Voyager crew was "rescued" by the crews of nearby ships. The would-be rescuers were really the perpetrators, having put Voyager in this precarious situation to get their hands on its defenseless crew. (My only question, best ignored, is how economically viable it would be to hire or bribe the crews of armed starships so they can round up 100 or so people to work in your plant.)

It's to the story's credit that we learn these details only after we've been able to watch the crew interacting in new situations, unaware that their lives had just a few days ago been very different. It gets us drawn into the mystery from the very beginning, putting us on the same level of unawareness as the characters.

The only members of the crew not kidnapped are Chakotay, Harry, and Neelix — who were away on a Delta Flyer mission at the time of the kidnappings — and the Doctor, who was left in command to safeguard Voyager when the rest of the crew was forced to flee the radiation. (Can one person fly a whole starship and fire its phasers? Apparently so, but never mind.)

The idea of bringing back the ECH ("Emergency Command Hologram") — first explored as a comic daydream in "Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy" — is a rational plot device, and a pretty smart course of action on Janeway's part. Once Chakotay's away team returns to Voyager, the mission is to go to this world, called Quarra, and track down the abducted Voyager crew.

The depiction of the Quarren world makes a big difference in the overall impact of the episode, and is nicely realized through effective visual effects. If Voyager has demonstrated anything the past few years, it's that a healthy budget and outstanding production values can make a difference in a story's persuasiveness. This show looks and feels like a million bucks (especially compared to lesser productions like Andromeda), which, along with Dennis McCarthy's more-awed-than-usual musical score, helps make this world seem real. Through CGI and mattes depicting large structures and lots of people, this mega-industrialized planet comes alive with motion and yet still seems appropriately arid, as most of that motion comes from hundreds of people walking to their workplaces like Borg drones.

Much of the story's fascination arises from our characters in their new identities. Janeway meets a co-worker named Jaffen (James Read), and before long they're dating and even living together. Meanwhile, back at the power distribution plant, we meet Annika Hansen (Seven of Nine), who holds the middle-management position of "efficiency monitor." If anyone is perfect for the job of efficiency monitor, it's Seven. And Paris, who couldn't keep his job at the plant (fired by aforementioned efficiency monitor), finds himself hired at the nearby bar. Appropriate, how his somewhat renegade nature still seems a part of his new personality. Torres frequents this bar to spend time alone, quietly studying engineering schematics — not unlike our actual Torres. Tuvok is different in that he laughs and cracks lame jokes — which seems contrary to the similarity that everyone else exhibits when compared to their actual selves — but since the writers reasonably make Tuvok the subject of the memory-control failure, I'm not going to complain.

After work, everyone hangs out at the same bar for happy hour to relax after a shift at the workplace. There's a subtext here on the subject of human happiness. As programmed into their memories, our characters — as primarily seen in the Janeway/Jaffen storyline — are kept in line mostly by the belief that their lives now are as good or better than they ever have been, and that having this job is the key to success and fulfillment. "I'm from a planet called Earth," Janeway says to Jaffen. "Overpopulated, polluted — very little work." They live in decent apartments afforded them specifically by, of course, their jobs.

Indeed, there's a point once Chakotay has found Janeway and is trying to figure out how to break the truth of her forgotten life to her. He asks her if she's happy. "I have a good job," she responds. Funny, how the quality of her job is the first thing she mentions when discussing the quality of her life. On this planet of industry, it would seem your job is the most important benchmark of your self-identity. Sounds kind of like America.

My favorite human aspect of "Workforce" is the subtly sweet Tom/B'Elanna subplot. Here are two characters whose memories have been changed so they now see each other as complete strangers ... and yet something prompts Tom to care for and try to protect B'Elanna after their chance meeting at the bar. Paris is not simply trying to "pick her up" (like his attempts on some of his other customers); rather, something makes him approach her with a higher respect and concern for her welfare. I liked this a lot; it's a quietly affecting story development that brings a human touch to the sci-fi theme of memory alteration. If you're one who believes in destiny, it might cross your mind here.

What's nice is how these humanistic subtexts grow out of the main drive of the story, which is a kidnapping-conspiracy plot that's surprisingly well executed. It involves a crooked brain surgeon named Kaden (Don Most) who conspires with administrators at the power plant to deliver fresh laborers who have implanted memories that will make them better appreciate their jobs. All of Voyager's crew has been assigned to this plant. But something in Tuvok's subconscious knows there's something wrong, and when he briefly mind-melds with Seven, her own suspicions begin to surface. Meanwhile, Chakotay, working from the other end of the game, goes undercover to expose the conspiracy and rescue the crew.

To go into much more of the plot's detail would be superfluous. There are a lot of apt little details (like computer records at the plant) that move the story from beat to beat and supply us and the characters with clues, respecting their intelligence and ours. It's all executed with a confidence that makes me wonder how aimless plots like "Prophecy" even happen. The story progress feels almost like a Law & Order episode, which is high praise, since the forward movement of complex plot elements on L&O is about as good as it gets on television.

I especially appreciated that the story featured a guest character working on the inside to find the truth, and who is therefore on our side. His name is Yerid (Robert Joy), and although bureaucracy often renders him powerless, he's no dummy (which is refreshing); with the help of some of the victims he slowly begins to chip away at the conspiracy. How he enters the story is interesting, and where and when Chakotay decides he can trust Yerid — in a moment of desperation while being rolled away in restraints on an operating table — reveals the story's villains as working on multiple levels of deception, thus making the plot even more compelling to watch unfold.

The second half of "Workforce" doesn't play as well on the themes of the workplace as part one does, but it probably couldn't have with so much plot in motion. There is, however, at least one dead end in part two that doesn't pay off, which is the friction between conspirator Kadan and his innocent assistant in the operating room, Ravok (Jay Harrington). Much is made of a scene (which is weakly performed, alas) where Ravok's suspicions about the conspiracy are awakened and Kadan justifies his actions as something necessary for society. The friction between the two is set up but never resolved. Similarly, John Aniston's role as the Quarren ambassador proves to be a mostly unnecessary walk-on that serves little purpose other than to conveniently bookend the two hours.

I also have some reservations about memory alterations being so easily reversed without the dialog necessary to explain that ease. There's a point where B'Elanna is rescued but doesn't know who she is. Doc describes the alterations as "radical," but wouldn't a few lines explaining that B'Elanna's real memories were intact but repressed with drugs have made this a little easier to swallow, and less like a miracle when she inexplicably seems to know who she is a few scenes later? (But don't get me wrong — the scene where she visits her Voyager quarters and realizes the waiter from the bar is actually her husband is a moment with true emotional resonance.)

Aside from the solid mechanics of its plot, "Workforce" covers a lot of ground in two hours. The relationship between Janeway and Jaffen is pleasantly depicted, and explores a "what-if" situation pretty nicely (until maybe Janeway's none-too-ambivalent last line to Chakotay in the final scene). Chakotay finally gets some solid screen time where he gets to take action and play hero without being saddled with a plotted mess (see "Shattered"). A comic subplot involving the tug-of-war for command between Harry and the Doctor is amusing, albeit hopelessly petty (and therefore appropriate for these characters). Everybody gets some good moments, making this one of the better ensemble shows on Voyager's record.

The technical credits are impressive, including the directing. Part one (Allan Kroeker) ends with dizzying crosscutting between characters that is jarringly effective, as Chakotay flees the authorities, Janeway has a romantic encounter, and Tuvok is about to undergo invasive surgery. Part two (Roxann Dawson) handles the increasing plot elements with expert pacing; Dawson shows she can direct a big show with a good script just as well as a small one with a mediocre script (last season's "Riddles").

The only thing missing from "Workforce" is a powerful ending. The first half shows the signs of a subtle message episode, highlighting ordinary issues of daily employment as filtered through a harrowing sci-fi premise. Part two is skillful, well-characterized plot wrap-up, but with an ending a little too routine for my tastes.

When I think about the bigger scope of my job, I like to think I'm doing something useful and worthwhile. Sometimes, by the end of my shift, I'm relieved I'm going home, and hardly thrilled about the fact I have to come back. Maybe my employer should tamper with my brain; I might appreciate my job more.

Next week: Seven and Chakotay get it on. Say what? (No, I'm not making this up.)

A very nice episode, it had quite a cinematic feel to it. Tuvok being
dragged off kicking and screaming "We don't belong here!" reminded me of
classics such as Soylent Green. I disagree about the 'dead end' to the
Kadan/Ravok subplot though. At the end of the discussion, when Ravok
leaves, Kadan asks him whether he'll join in on the conspiracy. Later when
Seven and Yerid enter the operating room we see Ravok on one of the slabs,
being treated for 'dysphoria syndrome', so it's pretty clear what he ended
up choosing.

A good two parter, but another of the "fortunately some of the crew was on
an away mission while this happened so they could save us" contrivances
(like Season 3's Macrocosm and TNG's Genesis) that get a little hard to
stomach.

"Tuvok is different in that he laughs and cracks lame jokes -- which seems
contrary to the similarity that everyone else exhibits when compared to
their actual selves --"

But recall, this is a memory-wiped Tuvok who does not remember his Vulcan
mental disciplines; this is the 'true' Tuvok- the emotional being- that
lurks beneath the surface; this is, apparently, Tuvok as he would be if he
did not have his Vulcan discipline, training, and upbringing.

Zarm: Your reasoning is based on the presupposition that Tuvok (and
probably everybody else in the universe) is by default born being emotional
and behaving like an average human. Why should that be the case?? Why
could an alien race naturally NOT have emotions and emotional responses
genetically encoded? I found the guffawing Tuvok jarring; he's probably my
favorite character precisely because he is level-headed and not given to
emotional drama.

Anyway, yeps, an AWESOME episode, one of the best of the entire Voyager
series for sure. It gets slow (the Paris-at-the-bar angle and Torres
recollections) and too soppy (Janeway getting laid and all the related
frills) at times, and Neelix is really irritating on occasions, but it's
great otherwise.

One major thing that doesn't make sense is how can the abductors have
developed a memory-alteration method that works on EVERY single species.
Voyager alone has several races as crewmembers; wouldn't their neural
pathways and physiology be significantly different? How come Seven, with
all her cybernetic implants, was as susceptible to the "reprogramming" as
your run-of-the-mill human?

Michael- actually, this is not a presupposition; it has been established
numerous times throughout Star Trek- including in Voyager, IIRC, that
Vulcans are emotional beings who are in fact MORE passionate and emotional
than humans. After being lead by these passions to the brink of destruction
in numerous wars, the teachings of Surak became their salvation as a sort
of backlash... rather than reigning in the passions that had all but
destroyed them, the highly emotional Vulcans- naturally born more
passionate in feelings than most others species- suppressed them completely
by means of intentional discipline, adopting logic as their guide.

Episodes like Blood Fever (VOY), Riddles (VOY) The Naked Time (TOS), and
Amok Time (TOS) show what happens when that discipline is shattered and the
Vulcans become their natural, emotional selves (albeit in each case through
artificial circumstances)... as does this one. :-) Vulcans are not
emotionless because they have no emotions- but rather because they suppress
them.

Well... that's my nerd lecture for the day. :-)

I agree with the implausibility of a memory-wipe technique that works
universally across species, though! :-)

He probably slept through all the stuff about Vulcan emotions, citing
something about "annoying touchy feely character crap" :-) Indeed, they
aren't emotionless, but in fact trained from childhood to repress them.

" Funny, how the quality of her job is the first thing she mentions when
discussing the quality of her life. On this planet of industry, it would
seem your job is the most important benchmark of your self-identity. Sounds
kind of like America."

Same in UK. It bugs me on TV when members of the public always have to
introduce themselves as "My name is {Fred} and I'm a {Job Title} from
{Location}". As if you're not a person with your own interests, views,
beliefs etc. My name is Cloudane and I'm not my job title. I'm a nerd from
England.

Anyway, the episode(s). Not sure what else to add, which is a good sign as
it's usually to moan or nitpick hehe. It was an interesting and possibly
unique (for Trek) story with beautifully done characterisation (e.g. Tom
and B'llana as has been mentioned). Kept me hooked. Combined score of 3.5
for me.

Yeah, that IS interesting. I read an article a few years back on the
subject. It contrasted the Western way of introductions to that found in,
say, eastern Africa where people introduce themselves as "I'm XYZ, the son
of ABC, from the tribe of N," emphasizing their ties of consanguinity.

I don't think there's anything wrong with that. We all have our priorities
in life and it's a free country!

Yeah - it's just really on the TV shows where they HAVE to introduce
themselves that way if they want to participate (what if they're between
jobs... for shame!). If someone *wants* to introduce themselves as their
job title it's entirely different and I'm all for that.

Of course, in fiction some are even named by their job title. There's the
Doctor and The Doctor for starters :)

I like ensemble stories. Trek is meant to be that way or should be. Hence
why I am not a fan of the new Mission Impossible with Tom Cruise cause he
destroyed all the characters, the team and just egocentrically focused on
tom cruise. I love the action and adventure, but i care more if they're
characters I relate to or aspire to, not just individually but also as a
team working together.

A recurring and important theme in all ST shows is ethics: good versus
evil. Here we see it again in full force. It is evil to abduct people, wipe
their memories and turn them into slaves, albeit willing slaves who think
they are free citizens. They have the freedom to choose their jobs and
their lives, but within the limited parameters of the economy they are
inserted into. The violence is removing their original identities, for
profit. I see this as a strong commentary on forced labour that occurs in
our society, and how economic slaves are socially conditioned to identify
with their new jobs. Human slavery is alive and well in the 21st century
Earth, in various forms, with people of all kinds being tricked or coersed
or forced into labour of various kinds, including prostitution; this
two-part episode illustrates why it is wrong. I thought it was a powerful
and compelling social commentary on a problem plaguing our society, whether
or not viewers made the connection.

I very much appreciated last episode - The Void - and this two-parters.
While the first wasn't very subtle, this one was, in the decoupage, the
little scenes, the characters interactions and the social allegory. I much
agree with Cloudane, my job doesn't define me, even if it's an important
part of my life. And I very much agree with Paul York about brainwashing,
slavery and "half-slavery".

To answer Chris, I never understood why they said Chakotay was a
vegetarian. It was established on TNG that they didn't kill animals
anymore. What they eat is replicated meat, thus, not really meat. My
question is (being a vegetarian myself), for what reason Chakotay wouldn't
eat replicated fish and meat when no animal suffered ?

I find it funny, yet it troubles me aswell how the
writer(s)...borrowed...ideas from other universes.
see warhammer and star wars universes for example. like my eyes popped out
when Chakotay (if I remember correctly) said nar shadan.

well, these...resemblances aside, I pretty much enjoyed these episodes.

by the way, did anyone count how many panels blew up in the whole series?
or the other ones? I lost count around 400...

Wonderful 2-parter! Not much to add that hasn't already been said, but good
point on the vegetarian thing! That is completely out of left field. Eh, it
was a relatively small thing considering how good everything else was.

Very interesting episode. It felt like a movie! Good to see John Aniston
(aka Victor Kiriakis to Days of our Lives fans - wonder if DeLancie who
used to be Eugene on that show put in a good word for him).

Tuvok ended up kind of a "loose-end" though. It was anecdotal that the crew
was transported back aboard Voyager and treated for their memory alteration
but Tuvok was getting the "ultra" treatment when we saw him last. He says,
"Help me!" And then we don't see him anymore. It would have been better if
he were a part of the rescue and his suspicions were validated.

I wish they had left out the petty fighting for command between the Doctor
and Harry. Both performed with exemplary skill when needed and yet, it was
cheapened by their egos. Harry will find it hard to earn a pip like that.

Yeah, a good episode, great to see the characters in another setting, a
possible other life, taking 'unwanted vacations from themselves'. This was
the premise of the travel agency in Total Recall too. (Wouldn't it be
wonderful to be able to take a vacation from oneself because,
unfortunately, wherever you go, there YOU are.) Seven of Nine was a riot,
too; a perfect alternative character.

Re the vegetarianism: it's a matter of principle and would make no
difference that the meat is replicated and not real. For instance, I don't
want to eat human flesh and would still find 'replicated' human flesh
repugnant, even though it wasn't real.

@Rerun: it may not make a difference to YOU, but many people are
vegetarians for ethical reasons which would be void with replicated meat.
Frankly, I have a hard time imagining ethical vegetarians with 24th century
animal husbandry and butchery either.

It was great all round and I love the fact that the scope was there to
bring the story to full fruitation while still having time for the charming
litte details. This more than anything gave it the cinematic feel. It just
had everything going for it.

There was a fantastic premise that lived up to its potential, the action
was tensely executed, emotional meaningful moments are wonderfully
touching, the whole atmosphere was perfectly realised and the characters
were kept at the heart of it all. Even most of the one-time characters were
given the right amounts of attention and complexity.

If I had anything bad to say is that perhaps it stumbled slightly in the
last few acts. The aftermath in particular was neglectful except for that
lovely scene between Tom and Torress.

However, this is still remarkably strong and gripping from start to finish.
This is my favourite Voyager 2-parter, unless the finale happens to really
blow me away!

One more thing which I'm surprised nobody has mentioned; there is an
episode of Stargate SG1 with the exact same premise and a story which went
around a similar route. While I love Stargate, I must say Voyager did it
quite a lot better.

"Much is made of a scene (which is weakly performed, alas) where Ravok's
suspicions about the conspiracy are awakened and Kadan justifies his
actions as something necessary for society. The friction between the two is
set up but never resolved."

He is seen lying on a hospital bed in the same room as Tuvok and Chakotay.
Seven comments on it.

I really enjoyed these episodes - it was interesting to see the crew in
another light. Tom Paris was very endearing in his role as protector of
B'lanna, even though he didn't know who she was. (Poor B'lanna, those
brainwashers were really jerks to make her a single mom. Why not keep her
and Tom together as a family?). It would have been nice if Seven had
displayed a bit more of her human side.

The one part that really annoyed me - Chakotay betraying the crew when he
was captured. His personality up until now never would have allowed him to
help the enemy trap his crew... And from what they showed, it didn't seem
as though he had been drugged or tortured. It just seemed as though they
captured him and he gave in... Very out of character.

Vulcans are highly emotional under their veneer of logic. When we've seen
Vulcans 'lose their shit', so to speak , they can become incredibly
passionate, violent, and irrational. Hence why they have the Kolinahr
discipline.

Once again with two parters, the climax did not live up to the build-up.
The first hour was compelling, the completeness in vision of the 'labor
city' had echoes from Soviet industrial towns. However...the inevitable
part II lacked a similar compelling payoff plot wise.

I was hoping for something more sinister and far reaching than the simple
need for an alien species to source cheap labor. As it was, the climax was
all too predictable.

Plot holes...were the children of Voyager also put into forced labor? How
exactly were the Aliens able to modify Seven without her Borg implants
blocking the procedure? Indeed, if the Aliens were so sophisticated as able
to brainwash borg, why not kidnap a few Borg cubes? Surely that would have
been a much more sensible solution, and Borg drones don't need constant
brainwashing.

As for 'coolness' factor, we got to see the Doc fulfill his role as
emergency command program - Harry Kim obviously didn't learn much from his
most recent opportunity at command, and spent most of the time criticizing
the Doc's rather ingenious command decisions. Hiding out in the lunar
crater was perhaps inspired by Star Wars II ;)

3/5 stars. Gotta give extra points for presenting a cohesive story for a
two-parter. The alien backdrops and industrial city scapes were great
eye-candy.

The other problem with this episode is that it's hard to understand why the
alien laborers are even needed. Most of what Janeway and the others are
shown doing is pretty pointless. And if there's such a shortage, how can
Paris get fired/quit?

The best part of this two-parter are the scenes with Chakotay and Janeway.
Janeway being truly happy off Voyager should have been explored more.

This was the first time I thought, "To hell with the thought Janeway and
Chakotay should get together on Earth." I liked Jaffin! They wrote him as
her equal where they forgot with Chakotay. I was even rooting for him to
stay on Voyager. Then his pathetic insecurity showed when he found out she
was a Captain and he retreated inside. At least that's how I perceived it.
zzzz Back to Chakotay dinners for her. Until he learns seven can cook
better :-). haha.

I enjoyed this two partner even though I am tired of Janeway losing her
ship theme.
Makes crew look dumb when she out wits Borg week after week.

I really must say that I enjoyed this one. The one scene that got me was
Janeway contacting Voyager and awed at its existence. I like those stories
where you're going along in your life only to discover that you are
actually something so much more then you thought. The way the story built
it up was actually quite good as well as she slowly starts trusting
Chakotay and indulging in the fantasy of her actually being a starship
captain.

It's always convenient in these situations that the prior memories are
merely blocked, but never erased outright. Why would the Quarren want to
make it remotely possible that the people could ever be restored...why
would they care?

I don't get why the Voyager writers were so amused with the stupid "Janeway
burns replicated meals" bit they used about a dozen times throughout the
series. Not only is it not even funny to begin with, it's based on
something that doesn't even make sense.

Re:vegetarianism, I think Arachnea's comment pretty much addresses the
inconsistency raised by Chris. Chakotay ate the replicated quail served in
'The Void'; he didn't eat the nectar mentioned in this episode, which was
presumably made using non-replicated meat by-product. This suggests that he
is happy to eat replicated meat products but not actual ones.

I also agree with the comment about it making no difference whether the
meat is replicated or not. I assumed that his vegetarianism was cultural
and would not have been surprised if he did choose to observe it even in
respect of replicated meat.